Inside Scuba Issue #3

AuthorAuthor

Byron Conroy & Andy Deitsch
March 10, 2024

Welcome to issue #3 of Inside Scuba

Hello and welcome to our third issue of Inside Scuba. This week we are in the muck diving capital of the world, Lembeh, Indonesia, where Byron is conducting an underwater photography workshop focused on macro photography. We are staying at the Dive into Lembeh resort which has been excellent. Stay tuned for a review of the resort in an upcoming issue.

What’s happening in this edition?

In our deep dive section, we take one story and deep dive to provide our thoughts on the topic and to give at least a couple of perspectives. We hope this will give you pause for thought and we’d love you to join in the discussion by commenting.

Deep Diving Records: Pushing Exploration or Creating a Dangerous Obsession?

In this week’s Deep Dive, we take a look at the deep dive record. We discuss the history of the record, the pioneers of deep diving, and give our opinions on the purpose and future of the record.

Having dived for 12 years, I recall my early days as a young man in Mexico, drawn by the allure of the deep. My 20th dive reached 165 feet (50m) in a Cenote, followed by a dive to 206 feet (63m) in Bali using sidemount.

In hindsight, those dives and several others were undertaken with inadequate equipment, knowledge, and safety precautions. Now, as an experienced trimix open circuit (OC) and JJ closed circuit rebreather (CCR) trimix diver, I recognize the importance of proper training and respect for the risks involved in extreme deep diving.

Deep dive pioneer Sheck Exley

Currently, I consider diving within the 393 feet (120m) range using either OC or CCR to be reasonably safe, given the right equipment, training, and accumulated experience. Nonetheless, there are individuals driven by the allure of the deep who persist in pushing the boundaries of human capability.

The current world record for open circuit SCUBA is 1090 feet (332m), held by Ahmed Gabr and was completed in the Red Sea in 2014, but what does this mean for the dive world? Is it a good thing for the industry for these limits to be pushed? 

In each issue of our newsletter, we will curate some top dive news from around the world. Links to each of the original articles are available.

BBC: “Oil leaking from a capsized barge off the coast of Tobago has spread hundreds of miles to reach the Caribbean island of Bonaire.”

Divernet.com “Survivors speak after fatal Red Sea dive-boat fire. Details have been emerging about the fire that swept through the Red Sea liveaboard Sea Legend in Egypt last month, resulting in the death of one of its guests”

DiveMagazine.com: “Bell of WWI shipwreck, USS Jacob Jones, recovered. The bell of the USS Jacob Jones, the first US Navy destroyer to be sunk by enemy action, has been recovered from the ship’s resting place near the UK’s Isles of Scilly.”

March 22-24, 2024 Beneath the Sea will be held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ. There will be some excellent seminars from the likes of Richie Kohler, Becky Kagan Schott, Jonathan Bird, Dan Orr, Faith Ortins, and more.

The British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) have launched a new Closed Circuit Rebreather course for the Divesoft Liberty CCR. For more information, check out the course details here.

For divers in the Northeast of the US, Dutch Springs in Bethlehem, PA (now called Lake Hydra) is scheduled to open for limited access beginning on April 20th, 2024. You must be accompanied by a dive professional who schedules a training activity so contact your local dive shop.

National Geographic: “First-ever photos show humpback whales mating—and they’re males.”

DivePhotoGuide.com: “DPG is pleased to announce the opening of the 11th annual Photo Competition for UN World Oceans Day, surrounding the 2024 theme “Awaken New Depths.” All entries must be submitted by April 7th at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time.

Photo Tip of the Week - Buying Your First Strobe Setup

This article will discuss all about buying your first strobe set up, next issue we will discuss strobe set up and positioning.

Why Do We Use Underwater Strobes?

Light behaves differently underwater compared to on land. Water absorbs and scatters light, resulting in loss of color and contrast as you descend deeper. Strobes, or underwater flashes, are essential tools for compensating for this loss of light and illuminating your subjects effectively. By providing artificial light, strobes help restore colors, enhance contrast, and bring out intricate details in your underwater images.

Almost all great shots you have seen of colorful reefs and fish have been shot with strobe light and adding strobes to your underwater photography rig will improve your images too!

What To Look For In Your First Strobe

Usually when people are looking to buy strobes they think about the cost and usually end up buying a cheaper entry level single strobe. Now this may seem a good way to begin, however you are much better off spending money on quality underwater light than you even are on a newer model camera.

The very essence of photography is capturing light; the strobe light you will invest in will be in almost every photo you take, so it is best to buy the very best quality light you can. There are plenty of options on the secondhand market of high quality strobes available. A top end pair of strobes will have more influence on your photography than pretty much anything else you can buy for underwater photography, and they will last you a long time. 

Can I Use a Video Light Instead? 

I would not recommend this; a video light is for video, even the highest powered video light pales in comparison to any strobe available on the market. This is because a video light is a constant source whereas a strobe fires for an incredibly short time and emits all of that energy in one go.

Unraveling the Depths: The Ex USS-Kittiwake Wreck in Grand Cayman

This week, our exploration takes us to the Ex-USS Kittiwake wreck in Grand Cayman. In this review, we dive into the history, dive details, and essential tips for discovering this iconic underwater site, including its connection to the Challenger disaster.

Historical Insights: The USS Kittiwake, a former U.S. Navy submarine rescue vessel, found a new purpose beneath the waves as an artificial reef in Grand Cayman. Commissioned in 1945, the Kittiwake served the Navy faithfully for decades. Her poignant moment came in 1986 during the Challenger space shuttle disaster recovery, where she played a crucial role in retrieving debris from the wreckage.

USS Kittiwake (ASR-13) underway, 23 July 1988. Source: Navsource.org

The intentional sinking of the Kittiwake to become an artificial reef in 2011 marked a groundbreaking moment in marine conservation and underwater exploration. With careful planning and collaboration between environmentalists, government agencies, and dive enthusiasts, the former U.S. Navy submarine rescue vessel transitioned from a retired military asset to a dynamic and thriving ecosystem beneath the waves. The deliberate submersion of the Kittiwake was not just an act of repurposing; it was a strategic effort to promote biodiversity and provide a sustainable habitat for marine life. Today, the Kittiwake's transformation into an artificial reef stands as a testament to the potential of responsibly repurposing retired structures, contributing not only to the preservation of underwater environments but also to the enhancement of divers' experiences seeking adventure and discovery.

Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to dive in the deepest swimming pool in the world? Check out this video to get a full review of Deep Dive Dubai.

Summary

Thanks for making it to the end of another newsletter. We hope you found it interesting. If you did, please do share it with someone else. Also, if you have a deep dive topic you’d like us to cover, let us know.

Andy & Byron

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